


In The Water Temple

by n0t_bess1e_b4ss_0n_the_b4ss



Category: The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Blood and Injury, Drowning, Electrocution, F/F, Kinda, Memory Loss, Ruto gives Sheik a nickname and it’s really cute, Ruto is such a sweetie, Sheik is a Separate Character, Vomiting, as you can see Sheik is not having a good time, i would die for these two, she cares about Sheik v much, the water temple sucks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-25
Updated: 2019-05-25
Packaged: 2020-03-14 18:00:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18953146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/n0t_bess1e_b4ss_0n_the_b4ss/pseuds/n0t_bess1e_b4ss_0n_the_b4ss
Summary: Sheik and Ruto both knew navigating the Water Temple wasn’t going to be fun when they had to be tied to each other because SOMEONE didn’t know how to swim. But it only got worse when that someone gets viciously attacked by a Stinger and the other has to jump in and save them.





	In The Water Temple

The surface of the water bubbles and, a second later, Ruto emerges. She skittered onto a nearby platform and then dragged her benevolent companion’s body out next to her. She releases the bony arms to rest her already sore muscles.

“You are such an idiot!” She hissed, flaring her gills, “I told you not to go and try to flip that switch, and what do you do? You do it anyway! Now look at you!”

Sheik says nothing- does nothing.

“This situation is already bad enough with me having to drag you around everywhere. Seriously, you can’t even doggy paddle? It would make getting through this wretched temple ten times easier if you knew how to! But you can’t. Of course you can’t! How did you even survive pulling me out of the ice back at the Domain?”

No reply.

“Listen, I hate this as much as you do. In fact, I hate it more because I’m the one who’s having to carry you on my back because the rope only succeeded in cutting into our stomach’s. Neither of us want to be here, but can we at least TRY to work together a little more?”

Nothing.

“...Sheik?”

Ruto shakes the girl’s shoulders, but that sparks no reaction. She rolls her onto her back and gasps when she saw the inflamed wound festering in sunburnt skin.

The flesh around the bite mark was practically glowing neon pink with laces of angry red and deep purple. Veins of indigo crisscrossed around the wrist and elbow. Slimy discharge drools from each puncture hole.

Ruto remembered how the water tasted like blood when she dove in after Sheik. She remembered how Stingers gave off an electric shock when they came in contact with a body, but she didn’t think anything of it until now.

“You’re...not breathing.”

That realization hit like a ton of bricks.

Looking upon her companion, Ruto now notices how terrible she looks. Sheik’s face is leached of all color, leaving her pale and ashen. Her hair is in disarray, barely held up in the braids, and her half-open mouth is leaking stagnant temple water. Worst of all, though, her chest wasn’t rising and falling like it should be. In fact, it wasn’t moving at all.

Ruto began to panic. What was she supposed to do if someone drowned? Such a thing was never a problem because everyone in her clan could breathe underwater. She had no idea how to help the girl possibly dying at her feet.

“Come on, you stupid mammal!” She hissed, using Hylian slurs in her fit of worried anger. “You can’t die! Don’t you dare die!”

She tried shaking Sheik, but jostling her did absolutely nothing to help. She pressed her ear against the girl’s chest and barely heard the flutter of a heartbeat. What she could hear, though, was the sloshing of water inside lungs.

“Din, Nayru, Farore- Goddesses above, do NOT let her die,” Ruto muttered, her claws digging into Sheik’s forearms. “Please don’t let her die.”

She releases her vice grip and buds of blood bloom from the contact area. That’s the least of her concerns, though.

The webbing between her fingers move to press down on Sheik’s chest, hoping the pressure with somehow wake her up so she would at least get some air in her lungs.

“If you die- if you /abandon me/- I WON’T forgive you! You hear me? I won’t!”

Sheik’s features remain horribly pale.

Ruto is shaking all over. The thought of her companion dying is utterly terrifying. Not because she didn’t want to be left alone in this goddess-forsaken temple, but because she had grown close to the desert-dwelling girl. They’ve gotten this far together, they had to finish what they started, and Ruto didn’t think she could without her friend by her side.

“Breathe, damnit! Don’t you dare die on me! Do you hear me? This princess is giving you an order! SHEIK!!”

Ruto’s fists come down on Sheik’s stomach and, suddenly, the red-eyed girl’s entire body lurches and water gushed from her mouth.

Sheik rolls onto her side, trembling, coughing and sputtering until it hurts. Fluids are violently ejected from her mouth at an alarming rate, but at least they’re getting out of her body.

Finally, after a painstakingly long minute of heaving and hacking, she inhaled a sharp breath. Ruby red eyes are pried open.

“P...princess...?”

“You’re alive,” Ruto breathed, “Oh my goddesses, you’re- You’re okay!”

Sheik stares at the Zora like there are Moblins parading out of her ears before spasming again. Her entire body curled up and she coughed until the noise became nothing more than a squeaky wheeze. Ruto attempts to help the girl sit up, but she locks up like a fainting goat, so she just lies her flat on her back.

“Do you remember anything that happened?” Ruto asked.

Sheik blinks multiple times, attempting to get rid of the black dots spotting her vision. When most of them are gone, she slowly turns her head to look at Ruto.

“I...ah...no..”

“I thought so.”

Ruto went to inform her about what went down when Sheik actually started to try and get herself up. The Zora princess flared her gills and grabbed one of the girl’s shoulders, earning a small squeak of alarm.

“What do you think you’re doing?” She snapped.

“Getting...end of...temple...” Sheik slurred, her voice drowning in and out.

“Oh no, you’re not going anywhere.” Ruto said firmly. “You need to rest.”

“But...”

“I’m a princess, so that’s an order.”

Sheik frowned, but let herself collapse back down to the cold stone floor. Maybe a little harder than she had intended.

“Oh geez. Are you gonna be sick?”

She, in fact, was.

Sheik just barely found the strength in time to push herself up to vomit into the water and not all over herself. She’s propped up on one arm, as her bad one is being cradled close to her contracting chest. Ruto finally closes the distance to help support the swaying girl.

“It hurts,” Sheik choked out without even thinking.

“It hurts because the feeling is returning to your body.” Ruto said, “Can I touch you without you freaking out?”

Sheik appreciated how she asked permission first, even though she couldn’t voice it. She nodded.

Once the girl was finished throwing up every internal organ in her body, Ruto pulls her away from the edge of the platform and untangles the lyre strapped to her back, as it probably wasn’t very comfortable to lay on. Sheik makes a small sound of distress when her instrument is taken away, but doesn’t do anything about it.

“What...what happened?” Sheik asked, managing to string at least a few words together.

“You...you were electrocuted. By a Stinger.” Ruto informer somberly. A shudder rolls through her fins when she remembered the muffled scream she heard even above the water. “You were trying to get to a switch to open a gate, remember? Then it lunged at you and you both went down into the pool. It bit you and then, well, shocked you pretty badly. I had to jump in and pull you out. That’s why we’re here.”

Sheik furrowed her eyebrows and looked up to the ceiling.

“I don’t...Princess, where..where are we?”

Ruto could barely suppress a small gasp. She frowned in worry.

“We’re in the Water Temple. At the bottom of Lake Hylia. We were trying to get to the main chamber because I’m a Sage or something. Remember?”

Sheik still looked very confused.

“What do you remember?”

“I..remember you. And I remember...the Zora scale. And monsters. And a rope, I think?”

Ruto laughed lightly, absentmindedly running her talons over the scales on her stomach where the lead had been tied.

“Yeah, I had to tie you to me because you can’t swim. Remember that?”

Sheik nodded slowly.

“I do.”

She shut her heavy eyelids and breathed out slowly. Shock is starting to wear off and, even though her nerves are still tingling, she’s beginning to feel the full extent of her wounds. Ruto notices her grimace and sets a gentle hand on her shoulder.

“Are you going to be sick again?” The Zora asked.

“N-no,” Sheik grunted, “It’s just-“ She winced when she tried to move her inured arm.

“Oh.” Ruto said, glancing at the bite. “Right.”

Guilt pooled in the back of the Zora’s throat. Her companion was clearly in a lot of pain, but she didn’t know how to help. There was nothing around here that could make Sheik feel even a little better.

“I’m sorry,” Ruto says softly, “Is there anything I can do?”

“Stay?” Sheik wheezed, “Just-just stay. Please. I don’t want to be alone.”

“Luckily for you, I wasn’t planning on going anywhere,” Ruto chuckled, “I’m not leaving without you.”

A small smile twitched on Sheik’s lips before morphing into another grimace. A wave of pain washed over her, thrumming and throbbing in her arm. She screws her eyes shut like she was having a nightmare. She wish this was one.

Serenity soon fills the small alcove. The only sound is Sheik’s breathing and water lapping against the edge of the platform. When the red-eyed girl looks up, she sees that Ruto is balanced on her knees beside her, eyes closed. Somewhere in the near distance, in some other deadly chamber of water, monsters prowl and growl.

“Princess?”

“Yes, Sheik?”

“Am I better now?”

Ruto opened one amethyst eye to stare at Sheik like she was crazy. Sheik, on the other hand, looks serious about what she said. The Zora’s features turn to concern.

“What? No. No, you’re not better, Sheik. You’re the exact opposite of better. You got bitten, electrocuted, and you nearly drowned. Why would you think you’re better?”

“Because I...”

She had to get up. She had to just push through the pain and get moving again. They were wasting time just waiting here on her sorry ass.

“I have to...we...chamber...”

Sheik still can’t put words together properly, but she doesn’t need to talk. She just needed to be able to move.

“Woah, wait. Hang on- HEY!”

Ruto grabbed Sheik by the forearms when she nearly collapsed when she attempted to stand. She could feel the girl trembling beneath her fingers.

“Don’t move! You’re hurt, Sheik. Like, really badly. You need to rest.”

“No,” Sheik grits, “I need-“

“Sheik, you can barley speak properly. What makes you think you can swim and fight monsters?”

Sheik went silent at that. Ruto lays her back down on her back.

“Just rest, okay, Sunny? We’ll keep going later.”

Sheik nodded and then did a double take.

“Wh..what’d you call me?” She managed to say.

Ruto’s fins perked up a little, like she was just as surprised as what she said.

“Sunny,” She repeated. “You know, as a nickname? I can’t think of anything with your actual name, but you did live in the desert and there’s a lot of sun in the desert, so...” She shrugged. “I won’t say it again.”

“No-“ Sheik said quickly, her ears burning red, “You don’t-you don’t HAVE to stop..”

Ruto glances at her companion, who is a blushing mess that’s pretending to study the wall.

“Alright,” She grinned from fin-to-fin, “Sunny.”

Sheik’s chest jumped a little, meaning that she was probably trying to laugh, but wasn’t able to produce the noise. She closed her eyes and rested her head back against the ground.

Exhaustion is wended deep into her bones. It’s becoming harder and harder to keep her eyes open, but she feels like it’s impossible to sleep because of the constant throbbing in her arm. She grits her teeth and her body curls in on itself without her consent. Just out of her peripheral vision, she sees Ruto perk up and reach her hands out.

“Are you okay? Is there anything you need?” The Zora asked.

Sheik could only reply in a mumble, pressing her burning forehead to the stone floor. It’s cool against her clammy skin.

“Don’t, like, drop dead on me all of a sudden.” Ruto added.

Sheik gives her a weak thumbs up before returning to her fetal position. Her ears prick when she hears the soft clinking of metal.

“You know, it might not have been the best idea to bring this along,” Ruto said, “Can I try it?”

The princess is holding up Sheik’s lyre. The owner of the instrument cranes her head up and squints through a blizzard of white.

“You..can play?” She croaks.

Ruto cracks a half-smile.

“My father made me learn how to play a few instruments when I was younger. I know a few songs. Maybe it’ll help?”

Sheik was two waves of pain away from ramming her skull into the wall so she would pass out, so she was going to take any opportunity to fall asleep. She nods.

“Go ahead.”

Ruto nodded and positioned the lyre properly in her arms. Her hands hover over the strings for a moment before strumming gently. The noise that was produced was slightly off at first, but quickly morphed into a gentle serenade that Sheik has never heard before.

And it helps. It really does. Ruto seemed to be thoroughly enjoying it, too.

“Are you...purring?”

The music stops before the rumbling hum sound can. Ruto flares her gills at Sheik, who’s grinning smugly. Although, in her weak, bleary state, it’s a little lopsided.

“I didn’t know fish could purr.”

Ruto rolled her eyes and bat Sheik with one of her fins.

“Oh, shut up.” She clipped, “And it’s not purring. It’s...a trill.”

“Oh yeah?” Sheik raised her eyebrows, “I didn’t know fish could do that, either. Are you sure you’re not part cat?”

“Hsst.” Ruto pokes the girl with one of her talons, “Hush. You’re supposed to be sleeping, remember?”

As much as Sheik wanted to converse more with Ruto, she wanted to be away from the pain even more, so she rested her head back down and closed her eyes. She was proud of herself for properly forming a few sentences, though.

The gentle melody started to resonate through the small room again. Peacefulness came with it and Sheik almost couldn’t feel the pain thrumming in her arm anymore. But it might have also been because the agony has become so severe that her body can’t handle it anymore and is on the brink of blacking out, but she liked to think it was because of the song and Ruto’s presence.

“Princess?”

“Yes, Sunny?”

“Thank you...for saving me.”

Ruto stopped playing for a moment, then continued again. She smiled down at Sheik.

“No problem, Sunny.”


End file.
